Progress That Changes What’s Possible

When I started this journey 26 weeks ago, I didn’t really want to know what exactly my weight was. I was focused more on how much I was losing and what my pant size was.

It wasn’t until I started looking at excursions and saw how many of them had a weight limit that I started to feel nervous and self-conscious. And it wasn’t just the weight limit, but also the strenuousness of some of the activities as well.

So, this past week, in preparation for the cruise, excursions and activities that I want to do (like Zumba and snorkeling), I made it a mission to do my virtual Zumba class at home and hit at least 10,000 steps daily.

From going to barely hitting 6,000 steps previously, this was a big jump for me. I also didn’t hit that achievement daily but got fairly close. I completed a 15-minute Zumba class almost every day. After day 2, I never wanted to do Zumba again. My legs were killing me!! But I persevered and while my legs are still sore, it feels good.

The highlight though, is that one of the excursions offered through Celebrity in St. Kitts is to go swim with dolphins. I’ve never swam with a dolphin before and have been eyeing it since we booked the cruise.

I didn’t book it right away, though, because it’s considered a strenuous activity and has a weigh limit of 286 pounds. Not knowing (and honestly not wanting to know) my exact weight, I didn’t want to sign up in advance and risk the embarrassment of being told I cannot participate after the fact.

Well, Wednesday when I weighed in and was informed that I was gloriously down another four pounds, I made the decision to ask Dianne what my weight actually was.

Flashback to Australia 2015… roughly 10 years ago. I was in Brisbane at Dreamworld and had the opportunity to spend my rent and go pet tigers. I spent too long debating about spending the money and hesitated ultimately missing the sign-up window and losing my chance to pet a tiger.

As Dianne was pulling back out my card to give me an answer, I felt the same emotions I had back in Oz and realized I never want to miss out again. I never want to kick myself for not doing something I want to do or feel the shame of not participating because of my weight.

So, with fingers and toes crossed, and being down 52 pounds, I held my breath…

Guess who is going swimming with dolphins?

ME!

I am under the weight limit and booked my ticket for the excursion!

Despite not hitting my original goal to be down 70 pounds by the cruise, being down 52 with one more week for a final Thin’s In push – I am ecstatic knowing I get to experience something new.

Don’t let yourself stand in the way of experiences you want to have or a life you want to live. Progress isn’t just about numbers or goals — it’s about removing the limits we once placed on ourselves and saying yes to the life we want to live and it's never too late to get started working towards what you want.

This week’s loss: 4 pounds

Total loss so far: 52 pounds